2014 at Neulakko kicks off with a three-part series on medieval hairdressing. First off, I’ll introduce you to my medieval hair kit, then I’ll show you my new headband that I just finished (and a couple of ways to wear it) and in part three there will be a new tutorial on how to make templar braids.

One evening last spring I stumbled upon a ivory gravoir on Gothic ivories. What a fascinating object! A gravoir is a stick used to part hair, much like the ‘tail’ in rat tail combs we use today. This little stick inspired me to start thinking about medieval hairdressing items and assembling a proper kit for myself. As an added bonus, I’ve read a lot about medieval hair stuff.

Once you get the bug, you realise you could medievalise ALL of your toiletries and will NEVER run out of things to research for the rest of your days! So look at this inspiring piece on I’m living history!

So here is what I have in my hair kit as of now. This is one of those never ending projects that I will keep adding to. Medieval hygiene items are an intriguing and a sort of polemic thing to look into – since the middle ages has a bad rep as a very filthy era in history.

Kaksipuolinen kampa. Keskiajan kammoille oli tyypillistä kaksipuolisuus, jossa toisella puolen kampaa oli harvemmat ja toisella tiheämmät piikit. Rakenne vaihteli – hulppeimmat olivat luuta ja ne saattoivat olla monesta osasta kerroksittain koottu. Esimerkiksi Virosta on löydetty paljon luukampoja. Tämä on vaatimattomampi ja puinen, mutta oikein hyvä kampa.A double edged comb. This is a really typical style for medieval combs – two edges with one with a dense combe and the other with a less dense comb. The fancy ones were carved in ivory and also in bone – and could be carved either in one piece or in several layers with a more complicated construction. There is a lot of bone combs excavated from Estonia and I have this cool book on them. This one, however, is made of wood in a single piece. Not fancy, but a good comb nevertheless.

Tekoletti pellavakuidusta. Tekotukkaa tehtiin niin oikeasta tukasta, villasta kuin pellavakuidustakin. Sen käyttö oli paheksuttua mutta pieni lisätukka on eri tarpeellista aikakauden runsaiden lettikampausten saavuttamiseksi. Ja ainakin edes jotenkin modernia tukkaa pitävälle elävöittäjälle lisätukka on välistä aivan välttämätöntä. Tällä letillä saa esimerkiksi Birgittamyssyyn sitä oikeaa pulleutta, vaikka päässä olisi pelkkä polkkatukka.Fake flax braid. Extra hair was obtained in several ways – wool and flax ans well as real hair. Slightly sinful, this church-condemned little extra boost is very useful in creating period hairstyles with lots of braids. And especially for the modern person with modern hair, it is more than necessary. With this braid it is easy to acheive the proper fullness in a Birgitta cap even if your real hair was just a short bob.

Kampaustikku. Koko projektin alkusysäys – luinen tikku jolla voi tehdä jakauksen!Gravoir aka hair parting stick. The stick that started all of this – a bone stick that I use for making parts in my hair!

Tekoletit lautanauhassa. Niistä voi lukea lisää täältä.Fake braids on a tablet woven band. You can read more about the piece here.

Hiusten väristä villalankaa lettien sitomiseen/ompeluun. Lettien sitominen on yksi vaikeimmista – villalangalla voi paitsi sitoa, myös ommella lettejä paikoilleen. Rasiassani kulkee myös yksi neulakinnasneula tähän tarkoitukseen. Olen sitonut lettejä myös nahkanauhalla, joka sopii liukkaammalle hiuslaadulle – en ole vielä löytänyt ihan parasta tapaa, joka pysyisi yhtä hyvin paikoillaan kuin hiuslenkki.Wool yarn in a color close to my hair fo tying/sewing hair. Tying braids is is one of the most difficult things to do in a medieval manner. I haven’t found the perfect solution yet, but I keep wool thread handy, since it also goes well for sewing hair in place. Leather thong is also a good alternative for those with the slippery sort of hair.

Pikkupeili. Tämän esikuvalla on oikeastaan alunperin uskonnollinen käyttötarkoitus, mutta pieni peili on kampauslaatikossa kätevä hiuksia laittaessa ja kampausta tarkistellessa.Small mirror. The original for this one actually had a religious use, but a small mirror comes in handy in hairdressing as well.

Neuloja. Mihinpä ei keskiajan nainen tarvitsisi neuloja? Niistä on hyötyä niin hiusten asettelussa kuin huntujen laitossakin.Pins. What would a medieval woman do without pins? They come in handy in setting hair and the veils that go on top!

Awesome!
We have the same “ivory” mirror. I need to get a proper comb. But my hair is soooo thick so I don’t know how to untangle it with such a tiny object. I will probably just brake the teeth’s. I need a hair brush. Still looking for that Dutch woman that makes em’. Anyone that knows?

That is fascinating! You’ve just given me another thing to lust after for my living history. :)

I’m very much looking forward to your tutorial on templar braids. I have been thinking of making some like your version of the London find – not because I have a bob, but rather because I have graduated past medieval hair and beyond. Knee length hair seems to be too LONG to do the templar braid style on…

P.S. Where did you get your “ivory” mirror? It’s a lovely replica and I’ve never seen anyone sell anything like that!

Hi Juanita! Sorry that it took this long to reply – I bought mine from Lady Malina. The mirror is super good! Of course the case is not ivory, though because it’s good to be kind to elephants. It looks and feels very realistic.